The goal of the RIA Core facility is to perform accurate and cost-effective analysis of hormones and analytes for NIH-funded users at the University of Pennsylvania, and neighboring institutions. In the 1996-2001 funding periods, under the leadership of Drs. Bryan Wolf and Heather Collins, the RIA Core has evolved from a facility that focused on rat and human insulin, glucagon and C-peptide (52,000 samples per year) to a diverse, high-volume and cost-effective service. In 2001, nearly 96,000 samples will have been assayed by RIA, EIA, ELISA for over 13 analytes which include rat/mouse insulin, dog insulin, monkey insulin, human insulin, rat and human glucagon, human C-peptide, rat and human leptin, rat corticosterone, human salivary and serum cortisol, CAMP, ACTH, T4. We utilize a charge-back system to recover the cost of the assays and our charges vary from $0.50 to $3.50 per sample, which are among the lowest of all DERC/DRTCs. Over 20 NIH-funded investigators have used our services and we have facilitated the research of junior as well as senior investigators.